1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to card ejectors for ejecting cards from electronic equipment.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese patent application Kokai No. 11-219756 discloses a card ejector of this type. The card ejector comprises a frame for guiding and supporting a removable card, a push rod provided on a side of the frame for sliding on the frame, and an ejector lever pushed by the push rod to eject the card.
The push rod comprises a first rod depressed by the operator, a second rod for transmitting the force to the ejector lever, and an intermediate member for engaging the rods. The intermediate member is supported by the first rod for rotation between an engaging position to engage the second rod and a release position to release the engagement. The rotation of the intermediate member is made by the circular movement of a pin section of the intermediate member along a heart-shaped cam channel in step with the reciprocation of the first rod.
The cam channel has a sloped and a stepped bottom to prevent the pin section from moving backward. To eject the card, the intermediate member engages the second rod to move the ejector lever, and the engagement is released thereafter. Under the engagement condition, the push button of the first rod projects from the front face of the equipment but, under the release condition, it is almost flush with the front face.
There has been a demand for a smaller card ejector. The heart-shaped cam member, however, makes the miniaturization difficult. It has a stepped bottom and needs the thick bottom wall. In addition, it has a complicated shape and is made by molding with a resin. The resin is not a rigid material, making the thick wall necessary. Moreover, the heart-shaped cam member needs a number of components, such as a pin section of the intermediate member and a bias member, which in turn requires a large space in which they operate.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a simple, economical, and compact card ejector.
According to the invention there is provided a card ejector which comprises a frame made of a flat metal sheet and having a support section for guiding and supporting a removable card and a guide plate made of a flat metal sheet and extending substantially parallel to said support section and having guiding means, an ejector lever provided on said frame for ejecting a card, a first push rod made of a flat metal sheet and provided in parallel to said guide plate for sliding therealong upon depression, a second push rod made of a flat metal sheet and provided in parallel to said guide plate for transmitting a force from said first push rod to said ejector lever, and a cam member provided behind said first rod so as to face said second rod for engagement with said guiding means such that when said first rod is depressed, said second rod pushes said ejector lever for rotation, thereby pushing said card for ejection. Since the support section of the frame, the first and second push rods are made of a metal sheet and provided in parallel with each other and also the cam member is guided by the guide plate provided in parallel to the support section, it is possible to make the connector small in a direction of the thickness of the metal sheets and the connector is strong because of the material of metal.